National Republican., 1887-01-26
Robbinr the Rod Man.

EDITOR NATIONAL REPUBLICAN, The REPuB-
LIcAN few days since under the above cap
tion, contained an account Of the fifth annual
meeting OF the Indian Defense Association,
and report OF the presidents address. de-
voted TO an exposition OF the associations op-
position to the Dawes sevcralty bill.
The good doctor. says; I'VE believe u Is a
measure fundamentally wrong In its principle
and In the method which It proposes, aud we
protest against II because II is a usurpation:'
This bill Is an act ITO provide for the allot-
ment OF lands In scveralty to Indians on the
various reservations, and 10 extend the protec-
tlon of the laws of the states and territories
over the Indians, aud for other purposes"
Are We to pndsrs,Snd that the i priinGipie OF
lection of law-is fundamentally wrong ifso,
we know not where 10 place the doctor as q
sociologist, II not among socialists and an
position OF himself and colleagues more
broadly and unguarledly than he intended.
IL cannot be that he stands with Henry George
on the land question, and with the Haymarket
The first section of this bill provides that
upon the application Of any Indian, or Indians,
living upon reservation suitable for grazing
or agricultural purposes, the Secretary OF the
Interior may cause 1t to be surveyed or resur.
vtyed II necessary, and allot to the Indian
or Indians, so applying their lands, TO heads OF
provided that Indians receiving such allot-
ments are declared to be citizens of the United
States, and entitled TO all the rights, .privi-
leges, and immunitics OF such, aud shall have
extended over them the laws Of the state or
territory in which they are located Here we
have both the principle of the bill and Its
method.
ii the Indian Defense Association does, on
second thought, regard the principle as flnda.
mentally wrong, then this and all other
methods of eiiectuating II are wrong; but Il
thin their criticism should be narrower and
more specific than II has been made.
He asks why the FIVE, civilized tribes are ex-
copied from the operation OF the bill
| The doctor has recently confessed himself
| IN novice, In regard TO Indian affairs, and
| this must be his excuse for this question.
Tnnt they are excepted mi yht more reason.
ably call for an explanation of the fact that
| the opposition TO this bill comes chiefly, aud
so far as the Indians are concerned, so far as
can Lean eTelqlyeiyh Sm Those who are
| sentatives Of the civilized tribes.
The president of this association ought to
know that these Indians hold their lands by n
patent, and that they are the only Indians
| who do, excepting such as have taken out au
| individual patent, either under the general
| land laws of the United States, or under treaty
| provisions. II would also be well to remcm-
Der that most of the reservations on which In.
| dans reside are simply executive reserves, TO
/ which the Indians have no surer or more
lasting, title than the good pleasure OF the
| bill, IL IL becomes a law would erect these
into reservations by act OF Congress- and to
take away from the executive the power OF
| nbolishlng them until the consent of a ma.
| jority of the Indians has been secured, aud
would hold them until each Individual had
secured an allotment, protected and inaliena-
II should also be remembered that the In.
| dians on several reservations are prohibited
| by treaty stipulations from taking more than
twenty acres Of land. This is the case Of the
Nez Perce Indians. who are anxious to have
| their lands allotted. but are embarrassed by
| the heavy restrictions. There Is a similar re-
striction of those on the Grande Ronde re-
| The absentee shawnees of the Indian terri
| tory are limited TO eighty acres to each head
Of the family. This bill provides that when
there is such restrict ion, the allotness shall
| be increased TO 160 acres. and II the land Is
grazing land only 1t shall be double that
| quantity. Does this association. set for the de-
Tense the Indian. object to such modliica
| tion ofthe sacred treaty which was nude by
| us, and forced upon the Indian?
| President sunderland says: 80 far as We
| know, no Indian tribes or bands have signifed
TO Congress their desire for the passage of such
| bill as this
Ignorance OF the fact that hundreds OF In
prVese Of taking their lands N seyersts er 1t.
| Is "a novice"
| prayer Of $50 out of 720 absentee Shawneei
that certificates fol. selections made by then
ten years ago, and still withheld, shall bt
They urge the issuance of these patents
| securing TO us our lands that we have taken
| in severalty, and thus permitting no Longer
OF the old system Of holding lands In common
among Indians. We are very anxious to have
this accomplished, not without reason; the
lands that we have thus selected ten years agt
tests, by Pottawattomie, whites, who compose ,
great part of that tribe"
The story OF their wrongs is long and shame
G1l hau hnn mol In litrt I'M
| all these years. The influence of all the chief
and headmen, excepting one or two. is throw
against the progressive party; and the certifi
Congress, passed In 1872, are still unlssued.
It was stated by Gen.. Whittlesey at
meeting OF the board Of Indian commits
5000 Indians on various reservation
are, in the estimation Of their agents ant
those acquainted with the facts. ready ant
anxious ior the opportunities and priyilege,
who are not "noyices" know that, among many
bands, the most insurmountable obstacle In thu
way Of their progress is the reservation system
| and the influence of the tribal relation.
The doctor says: "This appears To be a spor.
taneous movement on the part OF the Christian
philanthrophists-and who is standing at theil
| elbows II would not be hard to guess"
This sounds almost like a sneer at this clas
| of men, which could hardly be expected o
| him; and the suggestion which with som'
others of his association has been a positive
| declaration-that such men rs Bishop Hare
and the Riggs Brothers, and Capt. Pratt, ant
score Of other men who have spent thei
| lives In effort to civilize the Indians. and wht
| know what the incubus of the reservation sys'
| tenn and of the tribal Irelation Is would neve
| have associated such measure as this excep
| they were in cooperation with what has beei
called "Tings of land thieves" ought not u
| have been made by-Dr. Sunderland.
| Assuredly men of intelligence may believe
| that tho same conditions which we have founC
| essential TO our civilization and progress ar
| necessary for the Indian may say so, and ma,
| attempt to secure these for him without bein
| exposed to the charge of attempting robbery
especially when in the measures they adop
| they seek to make secure to him all the LAM
he can wisely USE and convert the remainder
| now useless to him, to his advantage with hi
| consent, and In harmony with the spirit AM
letter of agreements, which we have In man
| cases forceo upon him.
What, may ask, protection to his land ha
the old system proved TO be that the friends Q
the Indians, should:look to 1t for his defense i
the future? What has been the civilizlng an
| Outstanding influence Of the reservation an
| agency system, perpetuating as II seeks to d
the tribal relation, that after all these year,
we should2 magnify 1t now?
| IL would seem as II the National Indial
| Defense Association" was more concerned h
| defend the Indians right to be an Indian, an
TO perpetuate the conditions that have keI
| him one, than to secure those conditions an
opportunities in and under which he ma
possibly prove himself to be q man anon
| men. @. @, PAINTER,